Fermentation of pentose sugars

ABSTRACT

The present invention relates to host cells transformed with a nucleic acid sequence encoding a eukaryotic xylose isomerase obtainable from an anaerobic fungus. When expressed, the sequence encoding the xylose isomerase confers to the host cell the ability to convert xylose to xylulose which may be further metabolized by the host cell. Thus, the host cell is capable of growth on xylose as carbon source. The host cell preferably is a eukaryotic microorganism such as a yeast or a filamentous fungus. The invention further relates to processes for the production of fermentation products such as ethanol, in which a host cell of the invention uses xylose for growth and for the production of the fermentation product. The invention further relates to nucleic acid sequences encoding eukaryotic xylose isomerases and xylulose kinases as obtainable from anaerobic fungi.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to host cells transformed with a nucleicacid sequence encoding a eukaryotic xylose isomerase. The xyloseisomerase is expressed in the host cell to confer the ability ofisomerizing xylose to xylulose. The host cell is used in a process forthe production of ethanol and other fermentation products byfermentation of a pentose-containing medium. The present inventionfurther relates to nucleic acid sequences encoding eukaryotic xyloseisomerases.

2. Description of the Background Art

Large-scale consumption of the traditional, fossil fuels(petroleum-based fuels) in the last few decades has contributed to highlevels of pollution. Moreover, the realization that the world stock ofpetroleum is not boundless, combined with the growing environmentalawareness, has stimulated new initiatives to investigate the feasibilityof alternative fuels such as ethanol, which could realize a 60-90%decrease in CO₂ production. Although biomass-derived ethanol may beproduced by fermentation of hexose sugars that are obtained from manydifferent sources, so far, however, the substrates for industrial scaleproduction or fuel alcohol are cane sugar and corn starch. The drawbackof these substrates are the high costs.

Expanding fuel ethanol production requires the ability to use lower-costfeedstocks. Presently, only lignocellulosic feedstock from plant biomasswould be available in sufficient quantities to substitute the crops usedfor ethanol production. The major fermentable sugars fromlignocellulosic materials are glucose and xylose, constitutingrespectively about 40% and 25% of lignocellulose. However, most yeaststhat are capable of alcoholic fermentation, like Saccharomycescerevisiae, are not capable of using xylose as a carbon source.Additionally, no organisms are known that can ferment xylose to ethanolwith both a high ethanol yield and a high ethanol productivity. Toenable the commercial production of ethanol from lignocellulosehydrolysate, an organism possessing both these properties would berequired. Thus it is an object of the present invention to provide for ayeast that is capable of both alcoholic fermentation and of using xyloseas a carbon source.

D-xylose is metabolically by numerous microorganisms such as entericbacteria, some yeasts and fungi. In most xylose-utilizing bacteria,xylose is directly isomerized to D-xylulose by xylose (glucose)isomerase (XI). Filamentous fungi and yeasts, are however not capable ofthis one-step isomerization and first reduce xylose to xylitol by theaction of xylose reductase (XR) after which the xylitol is converted toxylulose by xylitol dehydrogenase (XDH). The first step requires NAD(P)Has a co-factor whereas the second step requires NAD⁺. The xylulose thatis produced subsequently enters the pentose phosphate pathway (PPP)after it is phosphorylated by xylulose kinase (XK). Anaerobicfermentation of xylose to ethanol is not possible in organisms with astrictly NADPH dependent xylose reductase (XR). This is because xylitoldehydrogenase (XDH) is strictly NAD⁺ dependent resulting in a redoximbalance (i.e., NAD⁺ depletion). To solve the redox imbalance underanaerobic conditions, the organism produces by-products such as glyceroland xylitol. Similarly, aerobic production of β-lactams on xylose isalso negatively influenced as compared to β-lactam production onglucose. A likely cause for these low yields again are a relatively highdemand of reducing equivalents in the form of NADPH in this route,compared to the use of glucose (van Gulik, W M et al., 2000, Biotechnol.Bioeng. 68(6): 602-18.

Over the years many attempts have been made to introduce xylosemetabolism in S. cerevisiae and similar yeasts, as reviewed in Zaldivaret al, 2001, Appl. Microbiol. Biotechnol. 56:17-34). One approachconcerns the expression of at least genes encoding a xylose (aldose)reductase and a xylitol dehydrogenase, e.g., the XYL1 and XYL2 of Pichiastipitis, in S. cerevisiae (U.S. Pat. No. 5,866,382; PCT Publications WO95/13362 and WO 97/42307). Although this approach enables growth of S.cerevisiae on xylose, it generally suffers from a low ethanolproductivity and/or yield as well as a high xylitol production, mainlyas a result of the redox imbalance between XR and XDH.

The expression of a XI in S. cerevisiae or related yeast or infilamentous fungi would circumvent the redox imbalance and consequentxylitol production and excretion. Xylose isomerase genes from severalbacteria have been inserted in S. cerevisiae, however, expression ofmesophilic prokaryotic XIs in S. cerevisiae did not lead to active XI(Amore and Hollenberg, 1989, Nucleic Acids Res. 17:7515; Amore et al.,1989, Appl. Microbiol. Biotechnol. 30:351-357; Chan et al., 1986,Biotechnol. Lett 8:231-234; Chan et al., 1989, Appl. Microbiol.Biotechnol. 31:524-528; Ho et al., 1983, Feder. Proc. 42:2167;Hollenberg, 1987, EBC-Syniposium on Brewer's Yeast, Helsinki (Finland),24-25 Nov. 1986; Sarthy et al., 1987, Appl. Environ. Microbiol.53:1996-2000; Ueng et al., 1985, Biotechnol. Lett. 7:153-8).Nevertheless, two XIs from thermophilic bacteria expressed in S.cerevisiae showed a specific activity of 1 μmol per minute per mg at 85°C. (Bao et al., 1999, Weishengwu-Xuebao 39:49-54; Walfridson et al.,1996, Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 61:4184-90). However, at physiologicaltemperature for S. cerevisiae (20-35° C.) only a few percent of thisactivity is left, which is not sufficient for efficient alcoholicfermentation from xylose. Thus, there is still a need for nucleic acidsencoding an XI that can be expressed in yeasts to provide sufficient XIactivity under physiological conditions to allow for the use of xyloseas carbon source.

Description of the Preferred Embodiments Definitions

Xylose Isomerase

The enzyme “xylose isomerase” (EC 5.3.1.5) is herein defined as anenzyme that catalyses the direct isomerization of D-xylose intoD-xylulose and vice versa. The enzyme is also known as a D-xyloseketoisomerase. Some xylose isomerases are also capable of catalyzing theconversion between D-glucose and D-fructose and are therefore sometimesreferred to as glucose isomerase. Xylose isomerases require magnesium ascofactor. Xylose isomerases of the invention may be further defined bytheir amino acid sequence as herein described below. Likewise xyloseisomerases may be defined by the nucleotide sequences encoding theenzyme as well as by nucleotide sequences hybridizing to a referencenucleotide sequence encoding a xylose isomerase as herein describedbelow.

A unit (U) of xylose isomerase activity is herein defined as the amountof enzyme producing 1 nmol of xylulose per minute, in a reaction mixturecontaining 50 mM phosphate buffer (pH 7.0), 10 mM xylose and 10 mM MgCl₂at 37° C. Xylulose formed was determined by the method of Dische et al.,1951, J. Biol. Chem. 192:583-587) or by HPLC as described in theExamples.

Sequence Identity and Similarity

Sequence identity is herein defined as a relationship between two ormore amino acid (polypeptide or protein) sequences or two or morenucleic acid (polynucleotide) sequences, as determined by comparing thesequences. In the art, “identity” also means the degree of sequencerelatedness between amino acid or nucleic acid sequences, as the casemay be, as determined by the match between strings of such sequences.“Similarity” between two amino acid sequences is determined by comparingthe amino acid sequence and its conserved amino acid substitutes of onepolypeptide to the sequence of a second polypeptide. “Identity” and“similarity” can be readily calculated by known methods, including butnot limited to those described in (Computational Molecular Biology,Lesk, A M, ed., Oxford University Press, New York, 1988; Biocomputing:Informatics and Genome Projects, Smith, D W, ed., Academic Press, NewYork, 1993; Computer Analysis of Sequence Data, Part I, Griffin, A M etal., eds., Humana Press, New Jersey, 1994; Sequence Analysis inMolecular Biology, von Heine, G., Academic Press, 1987; and SequenceAnalysis Primer, Gribskov, M et al., eds., M Stockton Press, New York,1991; and Carillo, H. and Lipman, D., SIAM J. Applied Math., 48:1073,988.

Preferred methods to determine identity are designed to give the largestmatch between the sequences tested. Methods to determine identity andsimilarity are codified in publicly available computer programs.Preferred computer program methods to determine identity and similaritybetween two sequences include e.g., the GCG program package (Devereux,J., et al., Nucleic Acids Res 12(1):387 (1984)), BestFit, BLASTP,BLASTN, and FASTA (Altschul, S F et al., J. Mol. Biol. 215:403-10(1990). The BLAST X program is publicly available from NCBI and othersources (BLAST Manual, Altschul, S F, et al., NCBI NLM NIH Bethesda, Md.20894; Altschul, S F, et al., J. Mol. Biol. 215:403-10 (1990). Thewell-known Smith Waterman algorithm may also be used to determineidentity.

Preferred parameters for polypeptide sequence comparison include thefollowing: Algorithm: Needleman and Wunsch, J. Mol. Biol. 48:443-53(1970); Comparison matrix: BLOSSUM62 from Hentikoff et al., Proc. Natl.Acad. Sci. USA. 89:10915-19 (1992); Gap Penalty=12; and Gap LengthPenalty=4. A program useful with these parameters is publicly availableas the “Ogap” program from Genetics Computer Group, located in Madison,Wis. The aforementioned parameters are the default parameters for aminoacid comparisons (along with no penalty for end gaps).

Preferred parameters for nucleic acid comparison include the following:Algorithm:

Needleman and Wunsch (see supra); Comparison matrix: matches=+10,mismatch=0; Gap Penalty=50; Gap Length Penalty=3. (Available as the Gapprogram from Genetics Computer Group, Madison, Wis.). Given above arethe default parameters for nucleic acid comparisons.

Optionally, in determining the degree of amino acid similarity, theskilled person may also take into account so-called “conservative” aminoacid substitutions, as will be clear to the skilled person. Conservativeamino acid substitutions refer to the interchangeability of residueshaving similar side chains. For example, a group of amino acids havingaliphatic side chains is glycine, alanine, valine, leucine, andisoleucine; a group of amino acids having aliphatic-hydroxyl side chainsis serine and threonine; a group of amino acids having amide-containingside chains is asparagine and glutamine; a group of amino acids havingaromatic side chains is phenylalanine, tyrosine, and tryptophan; a groupof amino acids having basic side chains is lysine, arginine, andhistidine; and a group of amino acids having sulfur-containing sidechains is cysteine and methionine. Preferred conservative amino acidssubstitution groups are: valine-leucine-isoleucine,phenylalanine-tyrosine, lysine-arginine, alanine-valine, andasparagine-glutamine. Substitutional variants of the amino acid sequencedisclosed herein are those in which at least one residue in thedisclosed sequences has been removed and a different residue inserted inits place. Preferably, the amino acid change is conservative. Preferredconservative substitutions for each of the naturally occurring aminoacids are as follows: Ala to Ser; Arg to Lys; Asn to Gln or His; Asp toGlu; Cys to Ser or Ala; Gln to Asn; Glu to Asp; Gly to Pro; His to Asnor Gln; Ile to Leu or Val; Leu to Ile or Val; Lys to Arg; Gln or Glu;Met to Leu or Ile; Phe to Met, Leu or Tyr; Ser to Thr; Thr to Ser; Trpto Tyr; Tyr to Trp or Phe; and, Val to Ile or Leu.

Hybridizing Nucleic Acid Sequences

Nucleotide sequences encoding xylose isomerases or xylulose kinases ofthe invention may also be defined by their capability to hybridize withthe nucleotide sequences of SEQ ID NO:2 or SEQ ID NO:4, respectively,under moderate, or preferably, under stringent hybridization conditions.Stringent hybridization conditions are herein defined as conditions thatallow a nucleic acid sequence of at least about 25, preferably about 50nucleotides, 75 or 100 and most preferably of about 200 or morenucleotides, to hybridize at a temperature of about 65° C. in a solutioncomprising about 1 M salt, preferably 6×SSC or any other solution havinga comparable ionic strength, and washing at 65° C. in a solutioncomprising about 0.1M salt, or less, preferably 0.2×SSC or any othersolution having a comparable ionic strength. Preferably, thehybridization is performed overnight, i.e., at least for 10 hours and,preferably, washing is performed for at least one hour with at least twochanges of the washing solution. These conditions will usually allow thespecific hybridization of sequences having about 90% or more sequenceidentity.

Moderate conditions are herein defined as conditions that allow anucleic acid sequences of at least 50 nucleotides, preferably of about200 or more nucleotides, to hybridize at a temperature of about 45° C.in a solution comprising about 1M salt, preferably 6×SSC or any othersolution having a comparable ionic strength, and washing at roomtemperature in a solution comprising about 1M salt, preferably 6×SSC orany other solution having a comparable ionic strength. Preferably, thehybridization is performed overnight, i.e., at least for 10 hours, andpreferably washing is performed for at least one hour with at least twochanges of the washing solution. These conditions will usually allow thespecific hybridization of sequences having up to 50% sequence identity.The person skilled in the art will be able to modify these hybridizationconditions in order to specifically identify sequences varying inidentity between 50% and 90%.

Operably Linked

As used herein, the term “operably linked” refers to a linkage ofpolynucleotide elements in a functional relationship. A nucleic acid is“operably linked” when it is placed into a functional relationship withanother nucleic acid sequence. For instance, a promoter or enhancer isoperably linked to a coding sequence if it affects the transcription ofthe coding sequence. Operably linked means that the DNA sequences beinglinked are typically contiguous and, where necessary to join two proteincoding regions, contiguous and in reading frame.

Promoter

As used herein, the term “promoter” refers to a nucleic acid fragmentthat functions to control the transcription of one or more genes,located upstream with respect to the direction of transcription of thetranscription initiation site of the gene, and is structurallyidentified by the presence of a binding site for DNA-dependent RNApolymerase, transcription initiation sites and any other DNA sequences,including, but not limited to transcription factor binding sites,repressor and activator protein binding sites, and any other sequencesof nucleotides known to one of skill in the art to act directly orindirectly to regulate the amount of transcription from the promoter. A“constitutive” promoter is a promoter that is active under mostenvironmental and developmental conditions. An “inducible” promoter is apromoter that is active under environmental or developmental regulation.

In a first aspect the present invention relates to a transformed hostcell that has the ability of isomerizing xylose to xylulose. The abilityof isomerizing xylose to xylulose is conferred to the host cell bytransformation of the host cell with a nucleic acid construct comprisinga nucleotide sequence encoding a xylose isomerase. The transformed hostcell's ability to isomerize xylose into xylose is the directisomerization of xylose to xylulose. This is understood to mean thatxylose isomerized into xylulose in a single reaction catalyzed by axylose isomerase, as opposed to the two step conversion of xylose intoxylulose via a xylitol intermediate as catalyzed by xylose reductase andxylitol dehydrogenase, respectively.

The nucleotide sequence encodes a xylose isomerase that is preferablyexpressed in active form in the transformed host cell. Thus, expressionof the nucleotide sequence in the host cell produces a xylose isomerasewith a specific activity of at least 10 U xylose isomerase activity permg protein at 25° C., preferably at least 20, 25, 30, 50, 100, 200 or300 U per mg at 25° C. The specific activity of the xylose isomeraseexpressed in the transformed host cell is herein defined as the amountof xylose isomerase activity units per mg protein of cell free lysate ofthe host cell, e.g., a yeast cell free lysate. Determination of thexylose isomerase activity, amount of protein and preparation of the cellfree lysate are as described in Example 1. Alternatively, the specificactivity may be determined as indicated in EXAMPLE 4. Accordingly,expression of the nucleotide sequence in the host cell produces a xyloseisomerase with a specific activity of at least 50 U xylose isomeraseactivity per mg protein at 30° C., preferably at least 100, 200, 500, or750 U per mg at 30° C.

Preferably, expression of the nucleotide sequence in the host cellproduces a xylose isomerase with a K_(m) for xylose that is less than50, 40, 30 or 25 mM, more preferably, the K_(m) for xylose is about 20mM or less.

A nucleotide sequence encoding the xylose isomerase may be selected fromthe group consisting of:

-   (a) nucleotide sequences encoding a polypeptide comprising an amino    acid sequence that has at least 40, 45, 49, 50, 53, 55, 60, 70, 80,    90, 95, 97, 98, or 99% sequence identity with the amino acid    sequence of SEQ ID NO:1;-   (b) nucleotide sequences comprising a nucleotide sequence that has    at least 40, 50, 55, 56, 57, 60, 70, 80, 90, 95, 97, 98, or 99%    sequence identity with the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO:2;-   (c) nucleotide sequences the complementary strand of which    hybridizes to a nucleic acid molecule sequence of (a) or (b);-   (d) nucleotide sequences the sequence of which differs from the    sequence of a nucleic acid molecule of (c) due to the degeneracy of    the genetic code.

The nucleotide sequence preferably encodes a eukaryotic xyloseisomerase, i.e., a xylose isomerase with an amino acid sequence that isidentical to that of a xylose isomerase that naturally occurs in aneukaryotic organism. Expression of a eukaryotic xylose isomeraseincreases the likelihood that the xylose isomerase is expressed inactive form in a eukaryotic host cell such as yeast, as opposed to themesophilic prokaryotic xylose isomerases. More preferably the nucleotidesequence encodes a plant xylose isomerase (e.g., from Hordeum vulgare)or a fungal xylose isomerase (e.g., from a Basidiomycete). Mostpreferably, however, the nucleotide sequence encodes a xylose isomerasefrom an anaerobic fungus, to further increase the likelihood ofexpression in enzymatically active form in a eukaryotic host cell,particularly in yeast. Most preferred are nucleotide sequences encodinga xylose isomerase from an anaerobic fungus that belongs to the familiesNeocallimastix, Caecomyces, Piromyces, Orpinomyces, or Ruminomyces.

A host cell for transformation with a nucleotide sequence encoding axylose isomerase preferably is a host capable of active or passivexylose transport into the cell. The host cell preferably contains activeglycolysis, the pentose phosphate pathway and preferably containsxylulose kinase activity so that the xylulose isomerized from xylose maybe metabolized to pyruvate. The host further preferably contains enzymesfor conversion of pyruvate to a desired fermentation product such asethanol, ethylene or lactic acid. A preferred host cell is a host cellthat is naturally capable of alcoholic fermentation, preferably,anaerobic alcoholic fermentation. The host cell further preferably has ahigh tolerance to ethanol and organic acids like lactic acid, aceticacid or formic acid and sugar degradation products such as furfural andhydroxy-methylfurfural. Any of these characteristics or activities ofthe host cell may be naturally present in the host cell or may beintroduced or modified by genetic modification. A suitable host cell isa microorganism like a bacterium or a fungus, however, most suitable ashost cell are yeasts or filamentous fungi.

Yeasts are herein defined as eukaryotic microorganisms and include allspecies of the subdivision Eumycotina (Alexopoulos, C J, 1962, In:Introductory Mycology, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York) thatpredominantly grow in unicellular form. Yeasts may either grow bybudding of a unicellular thallus or may grow by fission of the organism.Preferred yeasts as host cells belong to the genera Saccharomyces,Kluyveromyces, Candida, Pichia, Schizosaccharomyces, Hansenula,Kloeckera, Schwanniomyces, and Yarrowia. Preferably the yeast is capableof anaerobic fermentation, more preferably anaerobic alcoholicfermentation.

Filamentous fungi are herein defined as eukaryotic microorganisms thatinclude all filamentous forms of the subdivision Eumycotina. These fungiare characterized by a vegetative mycelium composed of chitin,cellulose, and other complex polysaccharides. The filamentous fungi ofthe present invention are morphologically, physiologically, andgenetically distinct from yeasts. Vegetative growth by filamentous fungiis by hyphal elongation and carbon catabolism of most filamentous fungiis obligately aerobic. Preferred filamentous fungi as host cells belongto the genera Aspergillus, Trichoderma, Humicola, Acremonium, Fusarium,and Penicillium.

Over the years suggestions have been made for the introduction ofvarious organisms for the production of bio-ethanol from crop sugars. Inpractice, however, all major bio-ethanol production processes havecontinued to use the yeasts of the genus Saccharomyces as ethanolproducer. This is due to the many attractive features of Saccharomycesspecies for industrial processes, i.e., a high acid-, ethanol- andosmo-tolerance, capability of anaerobic growth, and of course its highalcoholic fermentative capacity. Preferred yeast species as host cellsinclude S. cerevisiae, S. bulderi, S. barnetti, S. exiguus, S. uvarum,S. diastaticus, K. lactis, K. marxianus, K. fragilis.

The host cell is transformed with a nucleic acid construct as furtherdefined below and may comprise a single but preferably comprisesmultiple copies of the nucleic acid construct. The nucleic acidconstruct may be maintained episomally and thus comprise a sequence forautonomous replication, such as an ARS sequence. Suitable episomalnucleic acid constructs may, e.g., be based on the yeast 2μ or pKD1(Fleer et al., 1991, Biotechnology 9:968-75) plasmids. Preferably,however, the nucleic acid construct is integrated in one or more copiesinto the genome of the host cell. Integration into the host cell'sgenome may occur at random by illegitimate recombination but preferablynucleic acid construct is integrated into the host cell's genome byhomologous recombination as is well known in the art of fungal moleculargenetics (see e.g., WO 90/14423, EP-A-0 481 008, EP-A-0 635 574 and U.S.Pat. No. 6,265,186).

In a preferred transformed host cell according to the invention, thenucleic acid construct confers to the host cell the ability to grow onxylose as carbon source, preferably as sole carbon source, andpreferably under anaerobic conditions, whereby preferably thetransformed host produce essentially no xylitol, e.g., the xylitolproduced is below the detection limit or, e.g., less than 5, 2, 1% ofthe carbon consumed on a molar basis. The transformed host cell has theability to grow on xylose as sole carbon source at a rate of at least0.01, 0.02, 0.05, 0.1 or 0.2 h⁻¹. The transformed host cell of theinvention thus expresses a xylose isomerase at a specific activity leveldefined above.

A host cell may comprises further genetic modifications that result inone or more of the characteristics selected from the group consisting of(a) increase transport of xylose into the host cell; (b) increasedxylulose kinase activity; (c) increased flux of the pentose phosphatepathway; (d) decreased sensitivity to catabolite repression; (e)increased tolerance to ethanol, osmolarity or organic acids; and, (f)reduced production of by-products. By-products are understood to meancarbon-containing molecules other than the desired fermentation productand include e.g., xylitol, glycerol and/or acetic acid. Such geneticmodifications may be introduced by classical mutagenesis and screeningand/or selection for the desired mutant. Alternatively, the geneticmodifications may consist of overexpression of endogenous genes and/orexpression of a heterologous genes and/or the inactivation of endogenousgenes. The genes are preferably chosen form genes encoding a hexose orpentose transporter; a xylulose kinase such as the xylulose kinase genesfrom S. cerevisiae (XKS1 Deng and Ho, 1990, Appl. Biochem. Biotechnol.24-25: 193-9) or Piromyces (xylB, i.e., SEQ ID NO:4); an enzyme from thepentose phosphate pathway such as a transaldolase (TAL1) or atransketolase (TKL1) (see, e.g., Meinander et al., 1995, Pharmacol.Toxicol. Suppl. 2: 45) glycolytic enzymes, ethanologenic enzymes such asalcohol dehydrogenases. Preferred endogenous genes for inactivationinclude a hexose kinase gene e.g., the S. cerevisiae HXK2 gene (seeDiderich et al., 2001, Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 67:1587-93); the S.cerevisiae MIG1 or MIG2 genes; (unspecific) aldose reductase genes suchas the S. cerevisiae GRE3 gene (Träff et al., 2001, Appl. Environ.Microbiol. 67:5668-74); genes for enzymes involved in glycerolmetabolism such as the S. cerevisiae glycerol-phosphate dehydrogenase 1and/or 2 genes; or (hybridizing) homologues of the genes in other hostspecies. Further preferred modifications of host cells for xylosefermentation are reviewed in Zaldivar et al., (2001, supra).

In another aspect the invention relates to a transformed host cell forthe production of fermentation products other than ethanol. Suchnon-ethanolic fermentation products include in principle any bulk orfine chemical that is producible by eukaryotic microorganism such as ayeast or a filamentous fungus. Such fermentation products include, e.g.,lactic acid, acetic acid, succinic acid, amino acids, 1,3-propane-diol,ethylene, glycerol, β-lactam antibiotics and cephalosporins.

Transformation of host cells with the nucleic acid constructs of theinvention and additional genetic modification of host cells, preferablyyeasts, as described above may be carried out by methods well known inthe art. Such methods are e.g., known from standard handbooks, such asSambrook et al. (2001) Molecular Cloning: A Laboratory Manual (3^(rd)edition), Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor LaboratoryPress, or F. Ausubel et al., eds., Current Protocols in MolecularBiology, Green Publishing and Wiley Interscience, New York (1987).Methods for transformation and genetic modification of fungal host cellsare known from e.g., EP-A-0 635 574, WO 98/46772, WO 99/60102 and WO00/37671.

In another aspect the invention relates to a nucleic acid constructcomprising a nucleotide sequence encoding a xylose isomerase as definedabove and used for transformation of a host cell as defined above. Inthe nucleic acid construct, the nucleotide sequence encoding the xyloseisomerase preferably is operably linked to a promoter for control andinitiation of transcription of the nucleotide sequence in a host cell asdefined below. The promoter preferably is capable of causing sufficientexpression of the xylose isomerase in the host cell, to confer to thehost cell the ability to isomerize xylose into xylulose. Preferably, thepromoter causes a specific xylose isomerase activity in the host cell asdefined above. Promoters useful in the nucleic acid constructs of theinvention include both constitutive and inducible natural promoters aswell as engineered promoters. A preferred promoter for use in thepresent invention will in addition be insensitive to catabolite(glucose) repression and/or will preferably not require xylose forinduction. Promoters having these characteristics are widely availableand known to the skilled person. Suitable examples of such promotersinclude e.g., yeast promoters from glycolytic genes, such as the yeastphosphofructokinase (PPK), triose phosphate isomerase (TPI),glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GPD, TDH3 or GAPDH), pyruvatekinase (PYK), phosphoglycerate kinase (PGK) promoters; more detailsabout such promoters may be found in (WO 93/03159). Other usefulpromoters are ribosomal protein encoding gene promoters, the lactasegene promoter (LAC4), alcohol dehydrogenase promoters (ADH1, ADH4, andthe like), and the enolase promoter (ENO). Other promoters, bothconstitutive and inducible and enhancers or upstream activatingsequences will be known to those of skill in the art. The promoters usedin the nucleic acid constructs of the present invention may be modified,if desired, to affect their control characteristics. Preferably, thepromoter used in the nucleic acid construct for expression of the xyloseisomerase is homologous to the host cell in which the xylose isomeraseis expressed.

In the nucleic acid construct, the 3′-end of the nucleotide acidsequence encoding the xylose isomerase preferably is operably linked toa transcription terminator sequence. Preferably the terminator sequenceis operable in a host cell of choice, such as e.g., the yeast species ofchoice. In any case the choice of the terminator is not critical, it maye.g., be from any yeast gene, although terminators may sometimes work iffrom a non-yeast, eukaryotic, gene. The transcription terminationsequence further preferably comprises a polyadenylation signal.

Optionally, a selectable marker may be present in the nucleic acidconstruct. As used herein, the term “marker” refers to a gene encoding atrait or a phenotype which permits the selection of, or the screeningfor, a host cell containing the marker. The marker gene may be anantibiotic resistance gene whereby the appropriate antibiotic can beused to select for transformed cells from among cells that are nottransformed. Examples of suitable antibiotic resistance markers includee.g., dihydrofolate reductase, hygromycin-B-phosphotransferase,3′-O-phosphotransferase II (kanamycin-, neomycin- and G418-resistance).Although the of antibiotic resistance markers may be most convenient forthe transformation of polyploid host cells, preferably however,non-antibiotic resistance markers are used, such as auxotrophic markers(URA3, TRP1, LEU2) or the S. pombe TPI gene (described by Russell P R,1985, Gene 40:125-130). In a preferred embodiment the host cellstransformed with the nucleic acid constructs are marker gene free.Methods for constructing recombinant marker gene free microbial hostcells are disclosed in EP-A-0 635 574 and are based oil the use ofbidirectional markers such as the A. nidulans amdS (acetamidase) gene orthe yeast URA3 and LYS2 genes. Alternatively, a screenable marker suchas Green Fluorescent Protein, lacZ, luciferase, chloramphenicolacetyltransferase, β-glucuronidase may be incorporated into the nucleicacid constructs of the invention allowing to screen for transformedcells.

Optional further elements that may be present in the nucleic acidconstructs of the invention include, but are not limited to, one or moreleader sequences, enhancers, integration factors, and/or reporter genes,intron sequences, centromeres, telomeres and/or matrix attachment (MAR)sequences. The nucleic acid constructs of the invention may furthercomprise a sequence for autonomous replication, such as an ARS sequence.Suitable episomal nucleic acid constructs may, e.g., be based on theyeast 2μ or pKD1 plasmids (Fleer et al., supra). Alternatively thenucleic acid construct may comprise sequences for integration,preferably by homologous recombination. Such sequences may thus besequences homologous to the target site for integration in the hostcell's genome. The nucleic acid constructs of the invention can beprovided in a manner known per se, which generally involves techniquessuch as restricting and linking nucleic acids/nucleic acid sequences,for which reference is made to the standard handbooks, such as Sambrooket al., supra, or F. Ausubel et al., 1987, supra.

In another aspect the invention relates to a nucleic acid moleculecomprising a nucleotide sequence that encodes a xylose isomerase. Thenucleic acid molecule is preferably selected from the group consistingof:

-   (a) nucleic acid molecules encoding a polypeptide comprising an    amino acid sequence that has at least 50, 53, 54, 55, 60, 70, 80,    90, 95, 97, 98, or 99% sequence identity with the amino acid    sequence of SEQ ID NO:1;-   (b) nucleic acid molecules comprising a nucleotide sequence that has    at least 50, 56, 57, 58, 60, 70, 80, 90, 95, 97, 98, or 99% sequence    identity with the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO:2;-   (c) nucleic acid molecules the complementary strand of which    hybridizes to a nucleic acid molecule sequence of (a) or (b);-   (d) nucleic acid molecules the sequence of which differs from the    sequence of a nucleic acid molecule of (c) due to the degeneracy of    the genetic code.

Alternatively, a nucleic acid molecule of (a) may encode a polypeptidecomprising an amino acid sequence that has at least 67, 68, 69, 70, 80,90, 95, 97, 98, or 99% sequence similarity with the amino acid sequenceof SEQ ID NO:1. A nucleic acid molecule of (c) preferably hybridizesunder moderate conditions, more preferably under stringent conditions asherein defined above. Preferably the nucleic acid molecule is from aeukaryote, more preferably from a eukaryotic microorganism such as afungus, most preferably from an anaerobic fungus, such as e.g., thatanaerobic fungi described above.

Yet another aspect of the invention relates to a nucleic acid moleculecomprising a nucleotide sequence that encodes a xylulose kinase,preferably a D-xylulose kinase. A D-xylulose kinase (EC 2.7.1.17; alsoreferred to as a D-xylulokinase) is herein defined as an enzyme thatcatalyses the conversion of D-xylulose into xylulose-5-phosphate. Thenucleic acid molecule is preferably selected from the group consistingof:

-   (a) nucleic acid molecules encoding a polypeptide comprising an    amino acid sequence that has at least 45, 47, 48, 49, 50, 55, 60,    70, 80, 90, 95, 97, 98, or 99% sequence identity with the amino acid    sequence of SEQ ID NO:3;-   (b) nucleic acid molecules comprising a nucleotide sequence that has    at least 30, 37, 38, 39, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, 95, 97, 98, or 99%    sequence identity with the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO:4;-   (c) nucleic acid molecules the complementary strand of which    hybridizes to a nucleic acid molecule sequence of (a) or (b); and,-   (d) nucleic acid molecules the sequence of which differs from the    sequence of a nucleic acid molecule of (c) due to the degeneracy of    the genetic code.

Alternatively, a nucleic acid molecule of (a) may encode a polypeptidecomprising an amino acid sequence that has at least 64, 65, 66, 70, 80,90, 95, 97, 98, or 99% sequence similarity with the amino acid sequenceof SEQ ID NO:3. A nucleic acid molecule of (c) preferably hybridizesunder moderate conditions, more preferably under stringent conditions asherein defined above. Preferably the nucleic acid molecule is from aeukaryote, more preferably from a eukaryotic microorganism such as afungus, most preferably from an anaerobic fungus, such as e.g., thatanaerobic fungi described above.

In a further aspect the invention relates to fermentation processes inwhich the transformed host cells of the invention are used for thefermentation of carbon source comprising a source of xylose, such asxylose. In addition to a source of xylose the carbon source in thefermentation medium may also comprise a source of glucose. The source ofxylose or glucose may be xylose or glucose as such or may be anycarbohydrate oligo- or polymer comprising xylose or glucose units, suchas e.g., lignocellulose, xylans, cellulose, starch and the like. Forrelease of xylose or glucose units from such carbohydrates, appropriatecarbohydrases (such as xylanases, glucanases, amylases and the like) maybe added to the fermentation medium or may be produced by thetransformed host cell. In the latter case the transformed host cell maybe genetically engineered to produce and excrete such carbohydrases. Ina preferred process the transformed host cell ferments both the xyloseand glucose, preferably simultaneously in which case preferably atransformed host cell is used which is insensitive to glucose repressionto prevent diauxic growth. In addition to a source of xylose (andglucose) as carbon source, the fermentation medium will further comprisethe appropriate ingredient required for growth of the transformed hostcell. Compositions of fermentation media for growth of microorganismssuch as yeasts are well known in the art.

The fermentation process is a process for the production of afermentation product such as ethanol, lactic acid, acetic acid, succinicacid, amino acids, 1,3-propane-diol, ethylene, glycerol, β-lactamantibiotics such as Penicillin G or Penicillin V and fermentativederivatives thereof and cephalosporins. The fermentation process may bean aerobic or an anaerobic fermentation process. An anaerobicfermentation process is herein defined as a fermentation process run inthe absence of oxygen or in which substantially no oxygen is consumed,e.g., less than 5 mmol/L/h, and wherein organic molecules serve as bothelectron donor and electron acceptors. In the absence of oxygen, NADHproduced in glycolysis and biomass formation, cannot be oxidized byoxidative phosphorylation. To solve this problem many microorganisms usepyruvate or one of its derivatives as an electron and hydrogen acceptorthereby regenerating NAD⁺. Thus, in a preferred anaerobic fermentationprocess pyruvate is used as an electron (and hydrogen acceptor) and isreduced to fermentation products such as ethanol, lactic acid,1,3-propanediol, ethylene, acetic acid or succinic acid.

The fermentation process is preferably run at a temperature that isoptimal for the transformed host cell. Thus, for most yeasts or fungalhost cells, the fermentation process is performed at a temperature whichis less than 38° C. For yeast or filamentous fungal host cells, thefermentation process is preferably performed at a temperature which islower than 35, 33, 30 or 28° C. and at a temperature which is higherthan 20, 22, or 25° C.

A preferred process is a process for the production of ethanol, wherebythe process comprises the steps of: (a) fermenting a medium containing asource of xylose with a transformed host cell as defined above, wherebythe host cell ferments xylose to ethanol; and optionally, (b) recoveryof the ethanol. The fermentation medium may also comprise a source ofglucose that is also fermented to ethanol. In the process the volumetricethanol productivity is preferably at least 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, 2.5,3.0, 5.0 or 10.0 g ethanol per liter per hour. The ethanol yield onxylose and/or glucose in the process preferably is at least 50, 60, 70,90, 95 or 98%. The ethanol yield is herein defined as a percentage ofthe theoretical yield, which, for glucose and xylose is 0.51 g. ethanolper g. glucose or xylose.

In a further aspect the invention relates to a process for producing afermentation product selected from the group consisting of lactic acid,acetic acid, succinic acid, amino acids, 1,3-propane-diol, ethylene,glycerol, β-lactam antibiotics and cephalosporins. The processpreferably comprises the steps of (a) fermenting a medium containing asource of xylose with a transformed host cell as defined herein above,whereby the host cell ferments xylose to the fermentation product, andoptionally, (b) recovery of the fermentation product. In a preferredprocess, the medium also contains a source of glucose.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1. Growth curves of S. cerevisiae transformant grown on mediumcontaining 25 mM galactose and 100 mM xylose as carbon source.Transformant pYes contains a yeast expression vector without insertion.Transformants 14.3, 16.2.1 and 16.2.2 are transformed with the pYESvector containing the Piromyces sp. E2 xylose isomerase coding sequence.

EXAMPLES Example 1 Cloning of Piromyces Xylanase Isomerase and XyluloseKinase cDNAs

Organism and Growth Conditions

The anaerobic fungus Piromyces sp. E2 (ATCC 76762), isolated from fecesof an Indian elephant, was grown anaerobically under N₂/CO₂ (80%/20%) at39° C. in medium M2 supplemented with various carbon sources (24).Carbon sources used were Avicel (microcrystalline cellulose type PH 105,Serva, Germany), fructose or xylose (all 0.5%, w/v). After growthceased, as judged by hydrogen production, the cells were harvested bycentrifugation (15,000×g, 4° C., 15 min) or by filtration over nylongauze (30 μm pore size).

Preparation of Cell-Free Extract

The fungal cells were washed with deionized water to remove mediumcomponents. Cell-free extracts were prepared by freezing the cells inliquid nitrogen and subsequent grinding with glass beads (0.10-0.11 mmdiameter) in a mortar. Tris/HCl buffer (100 mM, pH 7.0) was added to thepowder (1:1, w/v) and after thawing for 15 min the suspension wascentrifuged (18,000×g, 4° C., 15 min). The clear supernatant was used asa source of intracellular enzymes.

Enzyme Assays

Xylose isomerase activity was assayed at 37° C. in a reaction mixturecontaining 50 mM phosphate buffer (pH 7.0), 10 mM xylose, 10 mM MgCl₂and a suitable amount of cell-free extract. The amount of xyluloseformed was determined by the cysteine-carbazole method (9). Xylulosekinase and xylose reductase activities were assayed as described byWitteveen, C et al. (28), 1989, J. Gen. Microbiol. 135:2163-71. One unitof activity is defined as the amount of enzyme producing 1 nmol ofxylulose per min under the assay conditions. Xylulose formed wasdetermined by the method of Dische et al. (supra) or by HPLC using aBiorad HPX-87N column operated at 80° C. and eluted at 0.6 ml/min using0.01 M Na₂HPO₄ as the eluent. Xylose and xylulose were detected by aRefractive Index detector at an internal temperature of 60° C.

Specific activity is expressed as units per mg protein. Protein wasdetermined with the Bio-Rad protein reagent (Bio-Rad Laboratories,Richmond, Calif., USA) with bovine γ-globulin as a standard.

Random Sequencing of a Piromyees sp. E2 cDNA Library

The cDNA library constructed in the vector lambda ZAPII as describedpreviously (2) was used. An aliquot of this library was converted topBluescript SK-clones by mass excision with the ExAssist helper phage(Stratagene, La Jolla, Calif.). Randomly selected clones were sequencedwith the M13 reverse primer to obtain 5′ part sequences. IncompletecDNAs were used to synthesize probes which were used to rescreen thelibrary. To obtain full length sequences subclones were generated inpUC18. Sequencing was performed with the ABI prism 310 automatedsequencer with the dRhodamine Terminator Cycle Sequencing Ready ReactionDNA Sequencing Kit™ (Perkin-Elmer Applied Biosystems).

Results

Randomly selected clones from a cDNA library of the anaerobic fungusPiromyces sp. E2 were sequenced and this resulted in two clones (pH97and pAK44) which sequences showed high homology to xylose isomerase andD-xylulokinase genes, respectively. The clones were analyzed in detail.

Clone pH97 did not contain a complete ORF and therefore the cDNA librarywas rescreened with a probe designed on the basis of sequence data fromclone pH97. This resulted in a clone pR3 with an insert of 1669 bp. AnORF encoding a protein of 437 amino acids with high similarity to xyloseisomerases could be identified. Although the 5′ untranslated regioncomprises only 4 bp, the presumed starting methionine residue fittedwell into an alignment of known xylose isomerase sequences. The 3′untranslated region was 351 bp long and had a high AT content, which istypical for anaerobic fungi. The ORF contained the amino acids shown tobe important for interaction with the substrate (catalytic triad His102, Asp 105, Asp 340 and Lys 235) and binding of magnesium (Glu 232)(14, 26). Further, the two signature patterns (residues 185-194 and230-237) developed for xylose isomerases (20) were present. ThePiromyces sp. E2 xylose isomerase (XylA) shows the highest homology tothe enzymes of Haemophilus influenza (52% identity, 68% similarity) andHordeum vulgare (49% identity, 67% similarity). The polypeptide deducedfrom the cDNA sequence corresponds to a molecular mass of 49,395 Da andhas a calculated pI of 5.2.

The second clone, pAK44, had an insert of 2041 bp and contained acomplete ORF encoding a protein of 494 amino acids with a molecularweight of 53,158 Da and a pI of 5.0. The first methionine is preceded bya 111 bp 5′ untranslated region, while the 3′ untranslated regioncomprised 445 bp. Both regions are AT-rich. BLAST and FASTA searchesrevealed high similarity to xylulokinases. The two phosphate consensusregions defined by Rodriguez-Pena, J M et al. (22) (1998, FEMS MicrobiolLett 162:155-160) were found at positions 6-23 and 254-270 as shown in apartial alignment. Moreover the signatures for this family ofcarbohydrate kinase as described in the Prosite database were identified(131-145 and 351-372). The Piromyces sp. E2 xylulokinase (XylB) showedhighest homology with the XylB protein of Haemophilus influenza (46%identity, 64% similarity).

Example 2 Construction of Yeast Expression Vectors Expression of XyloseIsomerase from Piromyces sp. E2 in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

cDNA from Piromyces sp. E2 was used in a PCR reaction with pfupolymerase (Stratagene). The primers were designed using the sequencesfrom the 5′ and 3′ ends of the xylose isomerase gene and also containeda Sfi I and a XbaI restriction site. The PCR product was cloned in thepPICZα vector (Invitrogen, Carlsbad, Calif.). To obtain the xyloseisomerase gene, the pPICZα vector was digested with EcoRI and XbaI. Thedigestion product was ligated into the pYes2 vector (Invitrogen). ThepYes2 plasmid with the xylose isomerase gene was transformed intoSaccharomyces cerevisiae (stam BJ1991, gift from Dr. Elizabeth Jones,USA). The genotype of this strain is: matα, leu2, trp1, ura 3-251,prb1-1122 and pep4-3.

Transformants were plated on SC plates (0.67% YNB medium+0.05%L-Leu+0.05% L-Trp+2% glucose+2% agarose). Untransformed cells can notgrow on these plates.

Induction

Transformed Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells were grown on glucose mediumat 25° C. for 72 h (raffinose can be used as an alternative forglucose). Cells were harvested and resuspended in SC medium withgalactose instead of glucose. After 8 h of induction cells wereharvested and lysed using glass beads (0.10-0.11 mm diameter) and“breaking buffer” (50 mM phosphate buffer+5% glycerol+proteaseinhibitor). After lysis the mixture was centrifuged (18,000×g, 4° C., 15min). The clear supernatant was used to determine xylose isomeraseactivity using the method described above (Example 1). An activity of 10U per mg protein was measured at 37° C.

Example 3 Growth of Transformed Yeast Strains on Xylose MediumComposition

Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains were grown on SC-medium with thefollowing composition: 0.67% (w/v) yeast nitrogen base; 0.01% (w/v)L-tryptophan; 0.01% (w/v) L-leucine and either glucose, galactose orxylose, or a combination of these substrates (see below). For agarplates the medium was supplemented with 2% (w/v) bacteriological agar.

Growth Experiment

Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain BJ1991 (genotype: matα, leu2, trp1, ura3-251, prb1-1122, pep4-3) transformed with pYes2 without insertion andthree selected transformants (16.2.1; 16.2.2 and 14.3) containing pYes2with the Piromyces sp. E2 xylose isomerase gene were grown on SC-agarplates with 10 mM glucose as carbon source. When colonies were visible,single colonies were used to inoculate liquid SVC-medium with 100 mMxylose and 25 mM galactose as carbon sources. Growth was monitored bymeasuring the increase in optical density at 600 nm on a LKB Ultrospec Kspectrophotometer.

Results

The results of the growth experiments are compiled in FIG. 1. Theculture with the BJ1991 strain transformed with pYes2 without insertionshows an increase in OD₆₀₀ up to 80 h. After this time a gradualdecrease is observed. This is caused by aggregation of the yeast cellswhich is often observed at the end of growth. The cultures with thethree transformants do not stop growing after 80 h and show a furtherincrease up to at least 150 h.

Example 4 Construction of a New, Improved, Yeast Expression Vector forConstitutive Expression of the Piromyces sp. E2 Xylose Isomerase inSaccharomyces cerevisiae

The pPICZα vector, containing the Piromyces sp. E2 gene coding forxylose isomerase, was used as a template for PCR with Vent_(R) DNApolymerase (New England Biolabs). The primers were designed using the 5′and 3′ sequences of the gene coding for xylose isomerase and included anEcoRI and an SpeI site. Additionally the primers were designed to removethe XbaI site found in the pPICZα construct, replacing it with a stopcodon (TAA). The final product was designed to restore the original openreading frame, without the added amino acids (His and c-Myc tags) foundin the pPICZα construct. The PCR product was cut with EcoRI and SpeI.The final product was cloned into a vector derived from pYES2(Invitrogen). In this vector the GAL1 promoter found in pYES2 wasreplaced by the TPI1 promoter in order to ensure constitutive expressionof the xylose isomerase, thereby eliminating the need for galactose inthe medium. The TPI1 promoter was cloned from a modified form of plasmidpYX012 (R&D systems). The promoter was cut out as a NheI-EcoRI fragment.

Both the TPI1 promoter and the PCR product of the gene coding for thexylose isomerase were ligated into pYES2 cut with SpeI and XbaI. Thisplasmid was used to transform Saccharomyces cerevisiae strainCEN.PK113-5D (gift from Peter Kötter, Frankfurt). The genotype of thestrain is: MatA ura3-52. Transformants were selected on mineral mediumplates (Verduyn et al, “Effect of benzoic acid on metabolic fluxes inyeasts: a continuous-culture study on the regulation of respiration andalcoholic fermentation” (1992) Yeast 8(7):501-17) with 2% glucose as thecarbon source. Untransformed cells cannot grow on these plates.

Transformants were grown on glucose/xylose mixtures in carbon-limitedchemostat cultures. Transformants grown under these conditions exhibithigh xylose isomerase activities (800 units per mg at 30° C.) accordingto a specific enzyme assay as developed by Kersters-Hildersson et al,“Kinetic characterization of D-xylose isomerases by enzymatic assaysusing D-sorbitol dehydrogenase.” 1987, Enz. Microb. Technol. 9:145-48).The in vitro activity of xylose isomerase in the cell-free extracts ofthe transformed S. cerevisiae strain was dependent on bivalent cations(Mg²⁺ or Co²⁺ and a relatively low Km value for xylose of approximately20 mM was measured.

1. A process for producing ethanol, comprising the steps of: (a)fermenting medium containing a source of xylose with a cultured yeast orfilamentous fungal cell that (i) is transformed with a nucleic acidexpression construct comprising a nucleotide sequence that encodesxylose isomerase protein, the amino acid sequence of which is at least70% identical with SEQ ID NO:1, (ii) operative linked to the nucleotidesequence of (i), a promoter that drives active expression of the xyloseisomerase coding sequence in the transformed cell,  wherein theexpression construct is expressible in said cell, and expression thereofconfers on the cell the ability to directly isomerize xylose toxylulose, and thereby, to produce ethanol; and (b) optionally,recovering the ethanol from said medium.
 2. The process according toclaim 1 wherein the cell is a yeast cell.
 3. The process according toclaim 1, wherein the medium also contains a source of glucose.
 4. Theprocess according to claim 1, wherein the production of ethanol occursat a rate of at least 0.5 g ethanol per liter per hour.
 5. The processaccording to claim 1, wherein the ethanol yield is at least 50%.
 6. Aprocess for producing a non-ethanolic fermentation product fermentationproduct, which process comprises the steps of. (a) fermenting a mediumcontaining a source of xylose with a cultured yeast or filamentousfungus cell that: (i) is transformed with a nucleic acid expressionconstruct comprising a nucleotide sequence that encodes xylose isomeraseprotein, the amino acid sequence of which is at least 70% identical withSEQ ID NO:1, which nucleotide sequence is operatively linked to apromoter that drives active expression of the xylose isomerase codingsequence in the transformed cell, (ii) expresses one or more enzymesthat confers on the cell the ability to produce a non-ethanolicfermentation product,  wherein, expression of the construct confers onthe cell the ability to directly ferment and isomerize xylose toxylulose and thereby produce said non-ethanolic fermentation product;and (b) optionally, recovering the non-ethanolic fermentation productfrom said medium.
 7. The process of claim 6 wherein the fermentationproduct is selected from the group consisting of lactic acid, aceticacid, succinic acid, an amino acid, 1,3-propanediol, ethylene, andglycerol.
 8. The process of claim 6 wherein the fermentation product isa β-lactam antibiotic or a cephalosporin.
 9. A process according toclaim 6, wherein the medium also contains a source of glucose.
 10. Theprocess of claim 6, wherein the cell further comprises a geneticmodification that results in decreased alcohol dehydrogenase activity soas to reduce ethanol production by said cell.
 11. A cultured yeast orfilamentous fungal cell transformed with a nucleic acid expressionconstruct which construct comprises: (a) a nucleotide sequence thatencodes xylose isomerase protein, the amino acid sequence of which is atleast 70% identical with SEQ ID NO:1, and (b) operative linked to thenucleotide sequence of (a), a promoter that drives active expression ofthe xylose isomerase coding sequence in the transformed cell, wherein,said expression construct is expressible in said cell and expressionthereof confers on the cell the ability to directly isomerize xylose toxylulose.
 12. The cell according to claim 11, wherein the nucleotidesequence encodes a xylose isomerase the amino acid sequence of which isSEQ ID NO:1.
 13. The cell according to claim 11, wherein the cell is ayeast cell.
 14. The yeast cell of claim 13 that is a member of a genusselected from the group consisting of Saccharomyces, Kluyveromyces,Candida, Pichia, Schizosaccharomyces, Hansenula, Kloeckera,Schwanniomyces, and Yarrowia.
 15. The yeast cell according to claim 14that is a member of a species selected from the group consisting of S.cerevisiae, S. bulderi, S. barnetti, S. exiguus, S. uvarum, S.diastaticus, K. lactis, K. marxianus, and K. fragilis.
 16. The cellaccording to claim 11, wherein the cell is a filamentous fungus.
 17. Thefilamentous fungus cell of claim 16 that is a member of a genus selectedfrom the group consisting of Aspergillus, Trichoderma, Humicola,Acremonium, Fusarium, and Penicillium.
 18. The cell according to claim11, wherein the promoter is insensitive to catabolite repression in thecell.
 19. The cell according to claim 11 that has been furthergenetically modified to confer on the cell one or more of the followingproperties: (1) increased transport of xylose into the host cell; (2)increased xylulose kinase activity; (3) increased flux of the pentosephosphate pathway; (4) decreased sensitivity to catabolite repression;(5) increased tolerance to ethanol, osmolarity or organic acids; or (6)decreased production of by-products, in comparison to a similar cellthat has not undergone said genetic modification.
 20. The cell accordingto claim 19, wherein the nucleotide sequence encodes a xylose isomerasethe amino acid sequence of which is SEQ ID NO:1.
 21. The cell accordingto claim 19, wherein the genetic modification that results in saidproperties (1)-(6) is (A) overexpression of an endogenous gene, (B)expression of a heterologous gene, or (i) a pentose transporter; (ii) axylulose kinase; (iii) an enzyme from the pentose phosphate pathway,(iv) a glycolytic enzyme, or (v) an ethanologenic enzyme.
 22. The cellaccording to claim 19 wherein the genetic modification that results insaid properties (1)-(6) is one that causes inactivation of one of thefollowing endogenous genes: (a) a gene encoding a hexose kinase (b)Saccharomyces MIG1 gene; (c) Saccharomyces MIG2 gene; or (d) a genehomologous to (a), (b) or (c) and which hybridizes thereto.
 23. The cellaccording to claim 11, that further expresses one or more enzymes thatconfers on the cell the ability to produce a non-ethanolic fermentationproduct.
 24. The cell according to claims 23 which is a yeast cell. 25.The cell according to claim 25 wherein said fermentation product isselected from the group consisting of lactic acid, acetic acid, succinicacid, amino acids, 1,3-propanediol, ethylene, and glycerol.
 26. The cellaccording to claim 23, wherein the cell is a filamentous fungus.
 27. Thecell according to claim 23 wherein said fermentation product is aβ-lactam antibiotic or a cephalosporin.
 28. The cell according to claim23 in which alcohol dehydrogenase activity is genetically decreased toreduce ethanol production by said cell.